Vehicle identification tag and methods of verifying the validity of a vehicle identification tag

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a vehicle identification tag and methods of verifying the validity of a vehicle identification tag. One embodiment provides a vehicle identification tag including a first portion having a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag and a second portion, where information on the first portion and information on the second portion assist a user in verifying that the vehicle identification tag is a valid vehicle identification tag.

The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/264,332, filed Oct. 28, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,463,150,entitled “A Vehicle Identification Tag and Methods of Verifying theValidity of a Vehicle Identification Tag,” the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vehicle identification tag andmethods of verifying the validity of a vehicle identification tag. Thepresent invention relates more particularly to a vehicle identificationtag including a first portion having a radio frequency identification(“RFID”) tag and a second portion, where information on the firstportion and information on the second portion assist a user in verifyingthat the vehicle identification tag is a valid vehicle identificationtag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electronic Vehicle Registration (“EVR”) is known in the art generally asan automated method of compliance screening for vehicle registration,which typically uses wireless, radio frequency identification (“RFID”)technology to automatically identify vehicle compliance status usingRFID readers and RFID tags to reflect vehicle information. Typically, anRFID tag is attached to a vehicle, usually the windshield. A user mayuse an RFID scanner to interrogate the RFID tag associated with thevehicle to obtain a unique number stored on the RFID tag. This uniquenumber may be the unique registration number assigned to the vehicle,the unique serial number assigned to the RFID tag during manufacture, orsome other unique number stored on the RFID tag which can be associatedwith the vehicle. Using the unique number obtained from the RFID tag, auser accesses a database, typically stored at another location, todownload compliance-related information about the vehicle to which theRFID tag is assigned. Examples of compliance-related information mayinclude vehicle registration, emissions, insurance, mechanical safety,or other factors, and whether or not the vehicle is in compliance withvarious national, state, or local regulations. Some EVR systemsautomatically process enforcement actions or violations fornon-compliant vehicles. EVR tags typically supplement the traditionalvehicle license plate and provide an additional, automated method forenforcing registration compliance.

Some examples of EVR systems or related RFID-tags known in the art areas follows: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,894,615, 6,758,405, 5,661,473, 5,554,984,6,366,222, 6,876,296, 6,121,880, 6,888,509, and U.S. Pat. ApplicationPublication No. 2002/0044069.

One example of a two-part overlay arrangement, where one member issubstantially permanently attached and another member is removablyattached, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,378.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle identificationtag. In one embodiment, the vehicle identification tag comprises: afirst portion, where the first portion comprises a radio frequencyidentification (“RFID”) tag, where first information is stored on theRFID tag; and a second portion, where the second portion includes secondinformation; where the first information stored on the RFID tagcorrelates with the second information on the second portion to allow auser to determine that the vehicle identification tag is a valid vehicleidentification tag. In one embodiment of the above vehicleidentification tag, the second portion of the vehicle identification tagis a renewable portion of the tag. In one aspect of this embodiment, thefirst portion of the vehicle identification tag is a substantiallypermanent portion of the tag.

In another embodiment of the above vehicle identification tag, thesecond information comprises alphanumeric information. In anotherembodiment of the above vehicle identification tag, a separate databaseis used to determine if the first information stored on the RFID tagcorrelates with the second alphanumeric information on the secondportion. In another embodiment of the above vehicle identification tag,the first information stored on the RFID tag is the same as the secondinformation on the second portion. In another embodiment of the abovevehicle identification tag, the tag further comprises a first portion ofadhesive having a first adhesive strength attached to the first portionof the vehicle identification tag and a second portion of adhesivehaving a second adhesive strength attached to the second portion of thevehicle identification tag, where the first adhesive strength is greaterthan the second adhesive strength. In one aspect of this embodiment, thefirst adhesive strength has strength sufficient to damage the RFID tagwhen the first portion of the vehicle identification tag is subsequentlyremoved from the vehicle. In another aspect of this embodiment, the tagfurther comprises a third portion of adhesive having a third adhesivestrength, where the RFID tag comprises a substrate including a firstmajor surface and a second major surface opposite the first majorsurface, a radio frequency identification antenna attached to the firstmajor surface of the substrate, an integrated circuit attached to theantenna, and where the third adhesive strength is greater than the firstadhesive strength, where the third portion of adhesive is attached tothe integrated circuit, and where the third adhesive strength has astrength sufficient to damage the RFID tag when the vehicleidentification tag is subsequently removed from the vehicle.

In another embodiment of the above vehicle identification tag, thevehicle identification tag is in combination with a vehicle, where thefirst portion of the vehicle identification tag is substantiallypermanently attached to the vehicle, and where the second portion of thevehicle identification tag is removably attached to the vehicle. Inanother embodiment of the above vehicle identification tag, the secondportion of the tag comprises retroreflective sheeting. In one aspect ofthis embodiment, the retroreflective sheeting includes printed indiciaof the second information. In another embodiment of the above vehicleidentification tag, the radio frequency identification tag includesprinted indicia of the first information. In yet another embodiment ofthe above vehicle identification tag, the RFID tag is tamper evident.

Another aspect of the present invention provides methods of verifying avalid vehicle identification tag. In one embodiment, the methodcomprises the steps of providing a vehicle identification tag,comprising a first portion, where the first portion comprises a radiofrequency identification (“RFID”) tag, where first information is storedon the RFID tag, and a second portion, where the second portion includessecond information, interrogating the RFID tag to obtain the firstinformation stored on the RFID tag, reading the second information onthe second portion, and verifying that the first information stored onthe RFID tag correlates with the second information on the secondportion. In another embodiment of the above method, if the firstinformation stored on the RFID tag does not correlate with the secondinformation on the second portion, then determining that the vehicleidentification tag is not valid. In another embodiment of the abovemethod, the second information comprises alphanumeric information. Inanother embodiment of the above method, the second portion of thevehicle identification tag is a renewable portion of the tag. In anotherembodiment of the above method, the first portion of the vehicleidentification tag is a substantially permanent portion of the tag.

In another embodiment of the above method, the method further comprisesthe steps of attaching the vehicle identification tag to a vehicle,removing the renewable portion of the tag, and attaching a secondrenewable portion to the vehicle. In one aspect of this embodiment, thesecond renewable portion of the tag includes information that isdifferent from the information on the first renewable portion of thetag. In another aspect of this embodiment, the method comprises the stepof changing the first information stored on the RFID tag to correlatewith the information on the second renewable portion.

In another embodiment of the above method, the method further comprisesthe step of providing an RFID interrogator, where the RFID interrogatorperforms the interrogation and the verifying steps. In another aspect ofthis embodiment, the RFID interrogator performs the reading step. Inanother embodiment of the above method, a separate database storescorrelation information between the first and second information, andwhere the database performs the verifying step. In another embodiment ofthe above method, the first information stored on the RFID tag is thesame as the second information on the second portion.

In another embodiment of the above method, the vehicle identificationtag further comprises a first portion of adhesive having a firstadhesive strength attached to the first portion of the vehicleidentification tag and a second portion of adhesive having a secondadhesive strength attached to the second portion of the vehicleidentification tag, where the first adhesive strength is greater thanthe second adhesive strength. In another embodiment of the above method,the first adhesive strength has strength sufficient to damage the RFIDtag when the first portion of the vehicle identification tag issubsequently removed from the vehicle. In another embodiment of theabove method, the method further comprises the step of attaching thevehicle identification tag to a vehicle, where the first portion of thevehicle identification tag is substantially permanently attached to thevehicle and where the second portion of the vehicle identification tagis removably attached to the vehicle.

Certain terms are used in the description and the claims that, while forthe most part are well known, may require some explanation. It should beunderstood that, when referring to “vehicle,” this refers to any deviceor structure for transporting persons or things, for example, a car,truck, motorcycle, semi truck, tractor, or any similar conveyance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be further explained with reference to theappended Figures, wherein like structure is referred to by like numeralsthroughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of one embodiment of the vehicle identification tagof the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 of the vehicleidentification tag of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a vehicle identification tag 10 ofthe present invention. Vehicle identification tag 10 is useful withElectronic Vehicle Registration systems, which are described briefly inthe Background of the Invention section. Specifically, the vehicleidentification tag 10 may assist a user in verifying or authenticatingthat the vehicle identification tag is a valid vehicle identificationtag. By the term “valid,” it is meant that the vehicle identificationtag is properly issued by local, state, or federal government entitiesand that such tag is subsequently affiliated or otherwise attached tothe vehicle to which it was issued. Typically, vehicle identificationtags are issued to vehicle owners after the owners have registered theirvehicles with such entities. The vehicle owner will apply the vehicleidentification tag somewhere on the vehicle, such as on a window orlicense plate of the vehicle. It has been known that such vehicleidentification tags have been stolen from the owner's vehicles and thenreapplied to other vehicles, like a stolen vehicle, for instance, makingthe tag no longer a valid tag because it is attached to a vehicle thatis different from one that it was issued to. The vehicle identificationtag 10 of the present invention is directed at providing a user,typically a law enforcement agent, a way to verify that the vehicleidentification tag 10 is indeed a valid vehicle identification tag 10and that it is attached to the vehicle to which it was issued. Thevehicle identification tag 10 of the present invention also provides away to update or replace a portion of vehicle identification tag 10 witha portion that includes more current information, such as the year thatthe tag was issued. To accomplish this, the vehicle ID tag 10 iscomprised of a first portion which is intended to remain with thevehicle for a longer period of time than a second replaceable portion ofthe tag. Thus the tag 10 is less expensive to maintain over the life ofthe tag 10. Thus, under this invention, the first portion of the vehicleID tag, which is more expensive to make, is not required to be replacedas frequently.

The vehicle identification tag 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 isattached to an object 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the object 12is a portion of a glass window in a vehicle, so that a user may seethrough the glass and read information from the vehicle identificationtag 10, either visibly or with an RFID interrogator, as explained inmore detail below. However, vehicle identification tag 10 may beattached anywhere on a vehicle.

The vehicle identification tag 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 includesa first portion 14 and a second portion 16. The first portion 14includes a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag 18. The RFID tag18 includes a substrate 24 having a first major surface and a secondmajor surface opposite the first major surface. The substrate 24 couldhave enough flexibility to conform to a variety of surfaces and bendeasily around objects. For example, in one embodiment, the substrate 24is preferably in the range of 25-100 microns in thickness, and is madeof a flexible material, such as polyester, polyethylene naphthanate,polyimide, polypropylene, paper, or other flexible materials apparent tothose skilled in the art.

An RFID element is attached to one of the major surfaces of thesubstrate 24. The RFID element typically includes two major components:an integrated circuit 22 and an antenna 20. Some RFID tags includebatteries to improve performance. These are commonly referred to as“active” tags. Passive tags do not include a battery. This invention iscompatible with either type of tag. In the remainder of the description,passive tags will be assumed, unless otherwise stated. The integratedcircuit 22 provides the primary identification function. It includessoftware and circuitry to permanently store the tag identification andother desirable information, interpret and process commands receivedfrom the interrogation hardware, respond to requests for information bythe interrogator, and assist the hardware in resolving conflictsresulting from multiple tags responding to interrogation simultaneously.Optionally, the integrated circuit may provide for updating theinformation stored in its memory (read/write) as opposed to just readingthe information out (read only). Integrated circuits suitable for use inRFID tags 18 include those available from Texas Instruments (in theirline of products under the trade names TIRIS or TAG-IT), Philips (intheir line of products under the trade names I-CODE, MIFARE and HITAG),among others.

The antenna 20 geometry and properties depend on the desired operatingfrequency of the RFID tag 18. For example, 915 MHz or 2.45 GHz RFID tags18 might typically include a dipole antenna, such as a linear dipoleantenna or a folded dipole antenna. A 13.56 MHz (or similar) RFID tag 18would typically use a spiral or coil antenna. However, other antennadesigns are known to those skilled in the art. In either case, theantenna 20 intercepts the radio frequency energy radiated by aninterrogation source, such as an RFID reader. This signal energy carriesboth power and commands to the RFID tag 18. The antenna enables theRF-responsive element to absorb energy sufficient to power theintegrated circuit 22 and thereby provide a response. Thus, thecharacteristics of the antenna should be matched to the system in whichit is incorporated.

One example of a suitable RFID tag 18 is commercially available fromTransCore LP located in Harrisburg, Pa. under the “eGo” brand.

A user may use an RFID reader or interrogator to read information fromor to write information to the RFID tag 18. RFID readers are well knownin the art. For example, commercially available RFID readers areavailable from 3M Company based in St. Paul, as the 3M™ Digital LibraryAssistant as model numbers 702, 703, 802, and 803. Another example of acommercially available RFID reader is a model IP3 portable RFID (UHF)Reader attached to an Intermec™ 700 Series Mobile computer availablefrom Intermec Technologies Corporation, Everett, Wash.

In one embodiment, the second portion 16 of the vehicle identificationtag 10 is in contact with or overlays the first portion 14 of thevehicle identification tag 10. However, in another embodiment, thesecond portion 16 of the tag 10 may instead encircle the first portion14. In this embodiment, both portions of the vehicle identification tag10 are visible from both sides. The first portion 14 and second portion16 of the vehicle identification tag 10 may be separate discreteportions or may be linked or integral portions. In fact, the firstportion 14 and second portion 16 may be any configuration orarrangement, so long as they include the first and second information toassist in verifying that the vehicle identification tag 10 is valid, asdescribed below.

The second portion 16 of the vehicle identification tag 10 may be madeof a wide variety of materials. In one embodiment, the second portion ismade from retro-reflective sheeting, such as sheeting described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,725,935 and 4,664,966, or sheeting which is commerciallyavailable from 3M Company based in St. Paul, Minn. as 3M™ Scotchlite™Label Sheeting Series 5330.

The first portion 14 and second portion 16 of the vehicle identificationtag 10 each contain information that assists in verifying that the firstand second portions are meant to belong together on the same vehicle andthat together, they form a valid vehicle identification tag 10. The RFIDtag 18 of the first portion 14 of the tag 10 includes informationreferred to as “first information.” This first information may be storedon the integrated circuit 22 of the RFID tag. The first information maybe the unique serial number that is stored on the RFID tag when the RFIDtag is first manufactured. Alternatively, the first information may beinformation that is written to the RFID tag by an RFID interrogator. Thefirst information may contain alphanumeric information, that is,consisting of or using letters, numbers, punctuation marks,mathematical, or other conventional symbols, or any combination thereof.The first portion 14 may include printed indicia of the firstinformation on the tag 10, such as is illustrated in FIG. 1 withreference number 32, as “ABR10266.” The printed indicia of the firstinformation may be visibly inspected by a user, as opposed to or inaddition to reading the first information on the RFID tag 18 with anRFID reader or interrogator.

The second portion 16 of the tag 10 includes information referred to as“second information.” This second information may be contained in thesecond portion 16 in any form or format. In the illustrated embodimentin FIG. 1, the second information is in the form of printed indicia withreference number 34 as “ABR10266.”

When a user wants to verify that the vehicle identification tag 10 is avalid vehicle identification tag 10, he may check to see if the firstinformation on the first portion 14 correlates with the secondinformation on the second portion 16 of the tag 10. By the term“correlates” or “correlation,” as used herein, including the claims, itis meant that there exists some form of a relationship or associationbetween the first information and the second information. Thisrelationship or association may be established in many ways. Forinstance, the first information and second information may be the sameinformation, as is illustrated in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the firstinformation could comprise a portion of the second information, or viceversa. For example, the first information could be “ABR10266” and thesecond information could be “01050ABR10266.” As yet another alternative,a separate database, either stored on an RFID interrogator or at adifferent location, such as at the state police station, could contain alisting of vehicles, and the first and second information for eachindividual vehicle. Therefore, a user, such as an enforcement officer,could scan in the first information from the RFID tag 18 of the firstportion 14 of the vehicle identification tag 10. That first informationcould then be cross-referenced against the entries in the database, andthe database could provide the second information that correlates to thefirst information. After receiving the second information, the usercould verify that the vehicle identification tag 10 is valid, if thesecond information obtained from the database matches the printedindicia 34 of the second information on the tag 10. Alternatively, afterscanning the first information from the RFID tag 18 with the RFIDinterrogator, the user could enter in the RFID interrogator the secondinformation via a keypad, and the database, either on the RFIDinterrogator or at another location, could verify that the firstinformation and second information correlate and send a signal to theuser that the tag is valid. If the first information and secondinformation do not correlate, then a signal is sent to the user that thetag is not valid. As yet another alternative, if the first informationis also in the form of printed indicia 32, a user could visually inspectthe printed indicia 32 and see if it somehow correlated to the printedindicia 34 of the second information, without the need for an RFIDinterrogator to read the RFID tag 18. In contrast, prior art EVR-relatedtags typically include an RFID tag that includes a unique serial numberon the tag, but the rest of the EVR tag does not include any “secondinformation” that is unique to that particular tag or unique to theparticular vehicle that the tag was issued for. Instead, the otherinformation typically included on the tag is information that may beincluded on any number of tags issued to a variety of vehicles, such asthe issuing authority or the year that the tag was issued. In this case,the “first information” and “second information” do not correlate.

After the vehicle identification tag 10 has been attached to the vehicleby its owner, the owner may update the renewable second portion 16 on aperiodic basis, such as annually, when he receives his registration andlicense for the vehicle for the upcoming year. To do this, he removesthe renewable portion 16 of the tag 10 and attaches a second renewableportion 16 to the vehicle. The second renewable portion 16 may includethe same “second information” as the first portion 16 that was removed,so together the first portion 14 and second renewable portion 16together form a valid vehicle identification tag 10. However, in thecase where the second renewable portion 16 of the tag includes “secondinformation” that is different from the “second information” on thefirst renewable portion 16 of the tag, a user could change the firstinformation stored on the RFID tag 18 to correlate with the informationon the second renewable portion 16. This would be achieved by writingthe new information to the RFID tag 18 with an RFID interrogator. Theability to write information to RFID tags 18 with RFID interrogators iswell known in the art.

The vehicle identification tag 10 may include other printed indicia thatmay serve any purpose. For example, the vehicle identification tag 10could include indicia designating the source of the tag 10, such as the“District of Columbia” and the year it was issued, such as “D02005,”indicating December 2005, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is convenient for describing the adhesive for attaching thevehicle identification tag 10 to the object 12. The combination of thevehicle identification tag 10 and an adhesive provides a vehicleidentification sticker. In one embodiment, the adhesive for attachingthe first portion 14 and second portion 16 of the vehicle identificationtag 10 may be the same adhesive. In another embodiment, as illustratedin FIG. 2, the adhesive for the first portion 14 and second portion 16of the vehicle identification tag 10 may be made of two different typesof adhesive. In this embodiment, a first adhesive 26 is used to attachthe first portion 14 to the object 12, and a second adhesive 28 is usedto attach the second portion 16 to the object 12. The first adhesive 26and second adhesive 28 may be a continuous layer of adhesive or twodiscrete portions of adhesive. In one aspect of this embodiment, thefirst adhesive and second adhesive may have different adhesivestrengths. For example, the first adhesive may have a first adhesivestrength, and the second adhesive may have a second adhesive strength.The first adhesive strength may be stronger than the second adhesivestrength, making it more difficult to pull the first portion 14 of thetag 10 from the object 12 relative to pulling the second portion 16 ofthe tag 10 from the object. This embodiment is useful for providing avehicle identification tag 10 where the first portion 14 is intended toremain attached to the vehicle and the second portion 16 is intended tobe replaceable. For instance, the owner of the vehicle may replace thesecond portion 16 of the tag 10 with a new portion 16 every year toreflect an up-to-date registration. The new portion 16 may include thesame information as the previous portion 16 to assist in verifying thetag 10 as a valid tag. The first portion 14 is considered asubstantially permanent portion of the tag 10. That is, once it isattached to the vehicle, it is intended to stay with the vehicle for anextended period of time. In contrast, the second portion 16 may be arenewable portion of the tag 10, as mentioned above. Therefore, thefirst portion 14 of the vehicle identification tag 10, which is moreexpensive to make, compared to the second portion 16, is not required tobe replaced as frequently, and the second portion 16, which is theinexpensive portion, may be replaced on a periodic basis, providing anefficient and cost effective vehicle identification tag.

The first and second portions of adhesives 26, 28 may also serve anadditional purpose, to make the vehicle identification tag 10 tamperevident. When using the term “tamper evident” throughout thisapplication, including the claims, it is meant that the vehicleidentification tag 10 includes certain features which indicate to a userthat that vehicle identification tag has been tampered with or otherwisecompromised. This aspect is useful to a user, especially a lawenforcement officer, to help indicate that the tag is not a valid tag.One way to make the vehicle identification tag 10 tamper evident is toinclude an adhesive that has adhesive strength sufficient to damage theRFID tag 18 when the vehicle identification tag 10 is subsequentlyremoved from the vehicle. For example, the first adhesive 26 may includea first adhesive that has strength sufficient to damage the RFID tagwhen the first portion of the vehicle identification tag is subsequentlyremoved from the vehicle. Another way to make the vehicle identificationtag 10 tamper evident is to include a third portion of adhesive 30 thatis in contact with the integrated circuit 22. In this embodiment, thethird adhesive 30 has an adhesive strength which is greater than thefirst adhesive strength of the first adhesive 26. That way, when thevehicle identification tag 10 is subsequently removed from the object12, the integrated circuit 22 will have a tendency to remain with theobject 12 and the rest of the RFID tag 18 will have a tendency to beremoved from the object, thus damaging the RFID tag 18.

Alternative tamper evident features may be incorporated into the vehicleidentification tag 10, such as those features described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,416,857 and 6,888,509, all of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

Suitable adhesives for use as adhesives 26, 28, 30 may be selected basedon their adhesion strength to a surface of a vehicle, for example,glass, as well as portions of vehicle identification sticker 10.Adhesion strength of an adhesive to a given substrate may be varieddepending on the components used to formulate an adhesive, as known tothose skilled in the art. Adhesives useful in the present invention havebeen described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,935 and one example of a suitableadhesive to use for the first adhesive 26 is commercially available from3M Company based in St. Paul under Product Number 927. One example of asuitable adhesive to use for the second adhesive 28 is commerciallyavailable from 3M Company based in St. Paul under Product Number 9457.One example of a suitable adhesive to use for the third adhesive 30 iscommercially available from 3M Company based in St. Paul under ProductNumber 9469. However, any number of adhesives known in the art may beused with the vehicle identification tag 10.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates attaching the vehicle identification tag 10to an object with an adhesive, the vehicle identification tag 10 may beattached to a surface in any manner known in the art. For example, thevehicle identification tag 10 may be incorporated into a vehiclecomponent, such as embedded in the windshield glass or the traditionallicense plate.

Although, the tag 10 is described herein as a vehicle identificationtag, tag 10 could be used to identify objects other than vehicles. Forexample, tag 10 could be used to verify or identify a renewable documentsuch as driver's license, cargo containers, railroad box cards, and soforth.

The present invention has now been described with reference to severalembodiments thereof. The foregoing detailed description and exampleshave been given for clarity of understanding only. No unnecessarylimitations are to be understood therefrom. All patents and patentapplications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference. It willbe apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes can be made inthe embodiments described without departing from the scope of theinvention. Thus, the scope of the present invention should not belimited to the exact details and structures described herein, but ratherby the structures described by the language of the claims, and theequivalents of those structures.

1. An identification tag in combination with an object, comprising: afirst portion, wherein the first portion comprises a radio frequencyidentification (“RFID”) tag, wherein first information is stored on theRFID tag; and a second portion, wherein the second portion includessecond information; wherein the first information stored on the RFID tagcorrelates with the second information on the second portion to allow auser to determine that the identification tag is a valid identificationtag, and wherein the first portion of the identification tag issubstantially permanently attached to the object, and wherein the secondportion of the identification tag is removably attached to the object,and wherein the second portion of the identification tag is a renewableportion of the tag.
 2. An identification tag of claim 1, wherein thefirst portion of the identification tag is a substantially permanentportion of the tag.
 3. An identification tag of claim 1, wherein thesecond information comprises alphanumeric information.
 4. Anidentification tag of claim 1, wherein a separate database is used todetermine if the first information stored on the RFID tag correlateswith the second alphanumeric information on the second portion.
 5. Anidentification tag of claim 1, wherein the first information stored onthe RFID tag is the same as the second information on the secondportion.
 6. An identification tag of claim 1, wherein the second portionof the tag comprises retroreflective sheeting.
 7. An identification tagof claim 6, wherein the retroreflective article includes printed indiciaof the second information.
 8. An identification tag of claim 1, whereinthe radio frequency-identification tag includes printed indicia of thefirst information.
 9. An identification tag of claim 1, wherein the RFIDtag is tamper evident.
 10. A method of verifying a valid identificationtag, comprising the steps of: providing an object; providing anidentification tag, comprising: a first portion, wherein the firstportion comprises a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag, whereinfirst information is stored on the RFID tag; and a second portion,wherein the second portion includes second information, and wherein thefirst portion of the identification tag is substantially permanentlyattached to the object, and wherein the second portion of theidentification tag is removably attached to the object; interrogatingthe RFID tag to obtain the first information stored on the RFID tag;reading the second information on the second portion; and verifying thatthe first information stored on the RFID tag correlates with the secondinformation on the second portion.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereinif the first information stored on the RFID tag does not correlate withthe second information on the second portion, then determining that thedentification tag is not valid.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein thesecond information comprises alphanumeric information.
 13. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the second portion of the identification tag is arenewable portion of the tag.
 14. The method of claim 10, furthercomprising the step of: providing an RFID interrogator, wherein the RFIDinterrogator performs the interrogation and the verifying steps.
 15. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the RFID interrogator performs the readingstep.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein a separate database storescorrelation information between the first and second information, andwherein the database performs the verifying step.
 17. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the first information stored on the RFID tag is thesame as the second information on the second portion.